David Meigs is a novelist with a background in youth outreach, specializing in ministry to at-risk youth and their families. Though his writing is enjoyed by all ages, his novels provide a unique, life-changing quality, critical for the youth of today. David and his family lives in Seabeck, Washington.

A funny thing happened on my way to writing this article. I was busy going about my day, when suddenly, my heart seemed to stop inside my chest for a long count, and then it started beating wildly, as if it were my three-year-old grandson playing a frantic drum solo on his grandma’s end table (a capital offense). I shot to my feet and went to the window for some air. It didn’t help. My heart was in atrial fibrillation. I’d had it before, but never this bad.

At the hospital the staff sprang into action. It was really something to watch. They attached wires all over my body and started an IV. Soon the room came alive with a cacophony of beeps, buzzers, and dancing lines on the EKG machine. Before long the medications took effect and my world started to slow down a little.

Just then the on-call cardiologist walked into the room and introduced herself as she scanned my chart and the heart monitor. Then she turned to face me, wearing a big smile. It may have been just me, but she seemed a little too cheery. “Have you ever had your heart reset using a defibrillator?”

“Is that the only alternative?” I countered.

“We are giving you medications to lower your blood pressure. There is a possibility that your heart will convert on its own; however, we cannot wait too long because there is a danger of a blood clot forming inside your heart.”

I wanted to tell her that my heart had been converted almost forty years ago but decided against it. As soon as she left, my wife and I went to prayer. A few minutes later an intense feeling of deep peace and joy came over me and my heart instantly converted to a normal beat. I have no doubt that the medications helped, but it was the Holy Spirit who reset, or rather converted my heart.

As I endured the mind-numbingly slow process of being discharged, I took note that God did it again. He waited until the last minute to step in. The Lord could have answered my prayers before I ever left home, but He didn’t. Moreover, I knew that though my heart was behaving for now, I was a long way from being well. My whole left side was, and still is, numb.

The ordeal has also affected my mind somehow. It left me with more than a little confusion and anxiety. In the three weeks that have now followed the trip to the hospital, I am happy to say that things are finally starting to head back in the direction of normal. I even went grocery shopping today for the first time since it all happened. Thank you, Jesus! I am excited to see what God has for me to learn through this.

I am reminded of many of my writer friends who have recently endured similar struggles and setbacks. Some have even gone on to be with the Lord. I want to offer a verse that has meant so much to me as I recover from this latest setback. Whether you are suffering in your health, finances, family, or whatever else you might have been up against, I think you will find this Scripture as much a blessing as it has been for me.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:37–39 NIV)

That’s all for this month. Until we meet again, may God bless all you write for Him.